The Hidden Truth
by shinigamitales
Summary: Allen pays for his master once more, this time, with the help of his friends. What lies at the end is the painful truth, and he will later find himself wishing he could just pay bills forever. Warning: Laviness! But absolutely an Allena fic.
1. Master is…dead?

**A/N: **I've edited some of the chapters because…I dunno…I just felt like it… And nope, you don't have to reread anything if you've seen them before. Basically the same stuff.

**The Hidden Truth**

**Summary:** Allen pays for his master once more, this time with the help of his friends. What lies at the end is the painful truth, and at the end, he finds himself wishing he could just pay bills forever.

**A/N:** My first fic ever… And well, just expect a lot of twists in the future. And a lot of Lavi moments too! Hope you enjoy… ",

**Disclaimer**: I do not own -man or any of its characters…

**Chapter 1: Master is…dead?!?**

_Allen watched the dying torch lights as he made his way out of headquarters through the subterranean water way. Shadows creep over the rough cavern surface, all seemingly alive as they danced with the shifting of the weak flames. Somehow the young exorcist can't get off the odd feeling that something is eyeing him, no, more like following him from the darkness. His eyes caught something move from the shadows. Mist-like tentacles suddenly shot out of the black. And they're all coming for him._

_Flicker…_

_He tried to scream when something caught his legs. The boat is gone, and he's standing on top of the water. He looked down only to find someone grabbing his left foot. He saw his scared reflection on the water. He saw himself, tentacles creeping all over his body. But then the reflection suddenly changed._

'_Who are…?'_

_Allen cut off mid- sentence when he noticed that he is starting to sink. He tried to struggle free but for some unknown reason he can't move. Teardrops were breaking the calm surface of the water. His tears are…falling…_

'_Allen-kun…'_

_Flicker…_

_A figure was calling out from underneath one of the torches._

'_Lenalee?'_

_The white- haired youth caught a glimpse of the other exorcist as the flames shifted. He heaved a sigh of relief, glad that he isn't alone. But she's not by herself. Lenalee's with someone…_

_She's with…himself?_

'_Lenalee!' _

_His other self was carrying Lenalee, wedding style. Allen felt a bit embarrassed but before a blush could start on his face, he noticed that something is wrong. Lenalee has a knife jutting out of her chest. Her breathing is coming in labored gasps as she tried to reach the face of the man who was smiling at her suffering._

'_Allen-kun…'_

_Flicker…_

_Allen reached out his hand though he's sunk all the way to his neck. He has to.._

'_You have to what?'_

_A white figure was smiling at him from the surface of the water where his reflection should have been._

'_You can't do anything…'_

_The figure laughed, his voice reverberating throughout the underground cavern. Allen tried to reach out one more time._

'_Le…Lenalee…_NOOO!!!!!

Allen woke up with a jolt with Lavi shaking him vigorously.

'Oi, Allen, wake up!!! Allen?!!!' The red- haired exorcist was tugging at his coat. He's apparently shaking him for a time now.

'Allen?!?!!' he shook Allen even harder.

'I'm fine Lavi…please stop shaking me, it makes me feel sick.' Allen managed to say.

The young bookman finally let go of his friend. But somehow, Allen has the impression that the young bookman is x-ray-ing him.

'Lavi, I'm really fine.' Allen gave his comrade a reassuring smile. The red- haired exorcist merely shrugged before picking up the book he's thrown a little while back when he noticed his friend gasping for breath while asleep. Sadly, the book was already halfway eaten by a starving Timcanpy.

'Crap, Timcanpy, do you really have to chew the pages?' Lavi protested. He tried to sort out whatever readable page there is left but ended up being bitten by the golden golem who strongly insists on finishing his meal.

' Ouch!!!! Allen, I know you eat way too much but at least share something with this fellow!! Hey, Allen?!!!! Allen?'

But Allen's not listening to Lavi. He was watching the torches. He's sure he's dreaming about torches a while ago, but what is it about? He tried to recall what the dream is but to no avail.

'The torches…remember…the torches…' Allen muttered.

However, instead of making him recall his dream, the red flames did nothing but to remind Allen of a certain red- haired someone who's the very reason why he has to head out this late at night in the first place. The very thought of his evil master is enough to make him lose interest in knowing what's he's dreamed about. He's feeling a strong urge to throw up at the moment.

'Hey, Allen?! Are you sure you're fine?' Lavi, who has reluctantly given up on his precious book queried. Allen turned to reassure his friend that he was fine but Lavi's hair, which reminds him of his master a lot, made him feel even worse. He decided the torches were more bearable to look at.

'Did you put something on your skin? It looks amazingly green!' Lavi's voice sounds excited. He seems to have already forgotten the nightmare incident a little while back.

Allen, not sure if he should be thanking the young bookman or not, merely replied with a weak smile before murmuring his answer a couple of moments later.

'I…Lavi…I think I'm gonna die.' Allen answered.

'Haha, quite optimistic of you…'

'Che! Can't you fucking shut your traps, you idiots?!?' an outraged Kanda Yuu protested from behind the two other exorcists. He's obviously reached his limit of his recommended daily intake of stupid chatter that he decided to butt in at the moment.

Lavi turned on his seat to face hell. 'Hey, Yuu-chan! When did youuuu get there?! I thought it was only Allen and the finder with meee!'

'Don't you ever call me by my first name, baka- usagi!!' Lavi barely avoided a deathly slash, courtesy by an outraged Kanda Yuu.

'And tell that rotting beansprout that he can go die and go to hell whenever he wants!!'

'What the hell did you say, BA-KANDA?!!!' Allen, hearing what Kanda said, commented back.

'Got a problem with it beansprout?!'

And so, the usual festive exchange of curses and Mugen-slashing ensues…

* * *

Meanwhile, with the boat rocking violently back and forth due to two exorcists' doing, a young bookman was going through the record of a certain letter he has seen a little while back.

_Flashback:_

_The exorcist headquarters was in such a buzz after discovering two letters written by Marshall Cross deftly hidden inside the room where he was supposedly killed a few days ago. Inspector Howard Link accidentally dropped his fountain pen under a wooden cabinet and was in the process of searching for it when he noticed the sheets of paper jutting out from its hiding place at a nook on the wall. The letters were addressed to two people in particular, the supervisor Komui Lee, and the man's apprentice Allen Walker._

'_This is good news everyone.' Komui took a sip of his coffee as he waved the crumpled sheet of paper to the crowd in front of him. Every exorcist, the three remaining generals, the science section, Malcolm C. Leverrier and his assistant Link, were all gathered at the supervisor's office, all seemingly struck by the news except for the last two._

'_In this letter addressed to me, the Marshall Cross directly confirmed his safety though he didn't go about the details of the events that happened that night nor how he managed to escape from the culprit.' Komui paused, waiting for questions if there are any, and seeing that there are none, continued with what he's going to say._

'_Furthermore, he also wrote that he cannot say where he is staying at at the moment for his own safety and the Order's as well and to not worry about him. Even though he didn't have judgment with him, he says he's still with another Innocence, Maria, so he says he should be fine. He also mentioned that we have to take care of ourselves as well for the culprit for his supposed death was nearby though he didn't say who it is.'_

_The room turned suddenly quiet as every eye darted to Malcolm C. Leverrier, who was calmly sipping his tea at a corner, unperturbed by the gazes he received from everybody else. He slowly lowered his empty cup then motioned for Komui to continue._

_Komui caught himself also looking at the Secretary before continuing with his report._

'_Ahm, y-yes,' he half stuttered._

'_Another thing, I really don't know why he wrote this in my letter instead of telling this to Allen but he says that what he told Allen in his letter is enough to find the truth.'_

_Komui paused when he noticed that everyone else was looking at Allen Walker expectantly- at him and the letter which supposedly will reveal the 'truth.' Allen, on the other hand, looks like he would rather not know what his master's letter says. After all, every single letter he received from the Marshall only speaks of his debts and where the hell Allen should work to pay for them. It really makes him feel miserable to see anything at all that comes from the General, much less to find a letter that reminds him so much of those miserable days. However, feeling all the eyes looking at him, and with Timcanpy trying to munch at the paper, he reluctantly reached for the letter and started reading out the contents for everyone to hear:_

**Dear Allen,**

**Debt in the Arturoe Marqo docks,**

**has 6185135.**

**Cross**

_Allen heard a bunch of disappointed yells and a glimpse of something red rolling like crazy on the floor before he let unconsciousness to take, even temporarily, the worse of his nightmares away._

_End of flashback_

'Arturoe Marqo, huh?' Lavi mused, still ignoring the other two exorcists' fight that was almost knocking the boat they're in. The finder who was earlier leading their boat was trying to get himself back on board after falling off the edge only to fall off again because of the boat's violent shaking. Lavi, having realized something interesting from his deep thought, finally decided to join with the other's 'fun.'

'Oi, Yuu-chaaann!!!Allen!! Seems like fun!!!!' Lavi jumped into the commotion as if there's no Mugen slashing at Allen. The white- haired exorcist tried to stop Lavi, but it was way too late.

And so, moments later, a huge splash freed the poor boat of its earlier predicament.

* * *

_Four days after…_

'Lenaleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' Komui wailed as he tried to stop his younger sister from following Allen's group. Reever and the rest of the science team were trying their best to restrain their idiot of a supervisor from doing…heaven knows what…just to stop Lenalee.

'Come on, supervisor, Lenalee's right!' Reever shouted amidst the noise of Komui's crying.

'Just think of what Lenalee feels about being exempted from working with the others just because her brother's the supervisor!! And stop scattering your snot on my coat, dammit!'

'NONONONONONONONONONOOOOOO!!!!!! I DON'T WANT MY SWEET LENALEE TO BE WORKING WITH SNOTTY, DIRTY DOCK RATS!!!!!!NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

'Nii- san, please let go of me.' Lenalee said patiently, her voice laced with a little annoyance over her brother's behavior. Not that she expects anything less from his overprotective sibling anyway. She continued her walk towards the ark gate, with her brother holding on to the hem of her dress as if for dear life. But whatever her brother might say, she won't allow Allen, Kanda and Lavi to shoulder all of Cross' debts by themselves. She is, after all, a member of the Cross squad during the Edo event and is thus equally liable for whatever amount of debt the Marshall has accumulated. Besides, another hand to help would mean paying the debt faster. The Order cannot lose that much manpower for a long duration of time, nor can they let Allen get killed by the Earl while working alone for his master, the very reason why Kanda and Lavi has to come as well.

After about fifteen minutes of slow walking (Komui was wailing and tugging at her dress' hem for the entire duration of the walk), Lenalee finally managed to reach the ark gate. She gave her sobbing brother a reassuring smile before pulling the hem out of her nii- san's grasp.

'I'm going now nii- san. Wish me well.' She gave her brother her usual kind and sweet smile.

LENALEEE!!!

'I'll be back in no time nii- san, neh?!'

Komui, who has finally accepted his defeat, only continued his noisy sobbing, so Lenalee addressed Reever instead.

'Wish us well. And please take care of brother, Reever- san.'

Reever shrugged. 'Like were not taking care of this idiot all the time.'

'You're so mean Reever!!! You guys never cared about MEEEE!!!!!'

'Fine, fine.' Reever turned to Lenalee leaving Johnny and the others to continuously restrain Komui, just in case he changes his mind again.

'You sure you want to go, Leverrier said…'

'I don't care what he says, Reever- san' Lenalee said, a little bit too forceful.

Lenalee can't go worrying about what the secretary has to say when she knows that Allen and the others are at great danger. There's just no way will she leave Allen's side again even if it means going against that cursed man's will. She won't leave Allen again like what she did when the two of them were trying to save Suman. That time, she really thought she's lost him for good. And the experience was extremely unbearable. She's not going to….

_Wait, what am I thinking about? Did I…Reever? _Lenalee was shocked. Did she just talk to Reever like that?

Meanwhile, the science section head was clearly taken aback. Is this_ really_ Lenalee Lee? That firm statement against Leverrier, the epitome of all her sufferings during her earlier days in the Order, were words he never expected would come from her. And to hear her say she dosn't give a damn what the secretary says. This girl has surely grown a lot.

'I'm sor-'

'No, you don't have to.' Reever gave her a knowing smile.

'But…'

'It's fine Lenalee, I understand. Well, take care then. And make sure Allen and Lavi gets back alive.'

'Eh?' Lenalee asked, confused by Reever's comment.

'Kanda, I mean.'

Lenalee couldn't help but chuckle despite what happened a while ago. 'Yes, I won't let him kill them. I'm off then, Reever- san.'

With that she waved everybody goodbye then turned to enter the ark towards the Asian branch.

* * *

Despite the quiet interior of the ark, Lenalee don't feel her usual calm self at all. Why did she react to the Reever's words that way? Is it because of the science head chief reminding her of Leverrier? No, that's not it.

_Lenalee, you're not your usual strong self now…_

'Allen…kun?' Lenalee suddenly came to a stop. That's exactly what Allen told her when they were trapped inside this very same ark which was then at the brink of destruction because of the download. That time, she really thought Krory and Kanda would be gone for good after the rest of their company left them behind to face the Noahs. But then, Allen made her believe, even if there's just too little of hope, that they would certainly get back home safely together with all of their friends.

Lenalee could still remember those blue grayish orbs that reminded her so much of an ashen sky promising rain. She can even remember the way he held her on her cheeks just to stop her from risking her life to save their friends. That firm but deliberate touch of his that tried to impose while at the same time heedful and considerate of her feelings. Allen is always the gentleman no matter how pinched the situation might become.

A small smile tugged at the corner of the exorcist's lips. 'No, I'm just remembering that because I'm inside the ark. And I want to reassure myself that I will be going home safely with everyone else. I want to protect them just like what Allen- kun did here before.' She nodded as to tell herself that her logic's right.

Maybe that sister complex of her brother is somewhat contagious. Ever since what happened with Suman, she felt as if she always needed to stay by Allen's side. Is it because of guilt for having left him alone that night? But whatever the reason might be, she feels that she needs to stay by his side to support him.

'How's that Allen- kun, you've just earned an older sister with a little brother complex, neh?!'

Somehow, the words didn't sound convincing to Lenalee Lee.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in mainland China, three exorcists are already having the time of their lives working off some red- headed womanizer's debt…

* * *

..uhm, so what do you think? Is it that bad? It's actually my first time writing a fanfic and I don't go well with grammar either so I would really appreciate constructive criticisms. I'm not that good at making conversations as well. Anyhow, here are some things I would want to point out with regards to the story (note: some spoilers ahead):

-The HQ I was referring to in the story is the new one in London.

-In chapter 165, when Allen, Lenalee, Johnny, and Komui are about to set up an ark gate connecting old and new hq, the boat they were in was shown entering something like a cave from the sea. I'm assuming it's an underground waterway, well what else could it be?!?(I'm really sorry if I spoiled this to anyone)

-You must be wondering how the Marshall Cross managed to hide the letter so I'm making up an explanation here. Well, the Marshall was fully aware of the threat on his life so he made the letter even before the attack and hid it there. It's kind of dumb but I can't think of any better explanation. Sorry 'bout that.

-How did they know it was really Cross' letter? Allen confirmed his handwriting.

-This story happened right after the Cross incident so the science team consists of only the usual (Reever and company). So no Pecks here yet.

-And why did Allen, Kanda, and Lavi have to travel all the way to where they are going instead of jumping to the Asian hq then setting off from there? Leverrier's seriously pissed about what Allen's letter contains that he forbids the three exorcists to use the ark. Haha…

And as I've said in the summary, this is absolutely an AllenxLenalee fic. I don't hate people who read yaoi or anything (it's their choice so I can't complain) but I have a friend who's read a yaoi of Kanda and Allen somewhere (out of curiosity) before watching the series and now she doesn't have any plan of watching it because seeing the anime reminds her of the yaoi she read. To make it short, I don't want to make anything that might discourage other people from watching/reading an awesome anime/manga like –Man. So, there.

And of course, thanks to everybody who read! And I'm sorry for any typos and/or grammar mistakes. English is, after all, not my language, which explains why my vocabulary isn't that extensive. And also, I'm sorry for the foul language courtesy of Kanda. Hehe, can't do anything 'bout that, can I? I seriously don't know if I should continue this so please tell me your thoughts. Again, thanks to everyone who read...!


	2. Letters and Rabbits

**A/N: **An edited version of chapter 2… Thanks to everyone who are still with this story… And I'm really sorry for posting this last time in a rush…

Anyways, if you've read through the older version of this chapter, this is actually the same thing so you don't have to reread this…^^,

**Disclaimer: **I do not own -Man or any of its characters…= (

**Chapter 2: Letters and Rabbits**

'Okairi, Allen- kun, Lavi!' a smiling Lenalee greeted the two exorcists as soon as they walked into the kitchens of the Arturoe Marqo inn. It has been a long, hard day of work for the two young workers and they're currently on their way of getting themselves dinner when Lenalee suddenly came out of the blue to welcome them.

'Lenalee!????' Allen and Lavi exclaimed in unison, not willing to believe their eyes at what they're seeing. This has to be because of exhaustion that they're starting to see things, or rather people who aren't supposed to be with them at the moment. To see Lenalee in a serving maid's uniform with a matching silver tray of empty tea cups, this can only mean disaster in the hands of Komui if he ever finds out.

'Lenalee, what are…?' Lavi started but was suddenly cut off when the female exorcist noticed the strict head cook coming their way. Lenalee gave her friends an apologetic smile before turning on her heels to leave.

'Gomen, Allen-kun, Lavi, but I'll explain everything later ne?!' with that, the female exorcist made her way towards the direction of the other kitchen helpers doing the dishes, leaving Allen and Lavi totally astounded by the encounter.

'Holy crap! Did we talk with Lenalee just now? How did she get here?' the young bookman asked no one in particular. His eyes followed Lenalee's back for a little more time before finally accepting the situation. She must have bugged Komui into letting her follow them here at the docks. The bookman quite expected her to do so; but what's unexpected to him is the fact that Komui allowed his precious little sister to follow.

Knowing that there's simply no way he could convince Lenalee to go back to headquarters now that her mind's fixed on helping them, Lavi started for the dining table. The window near it frames a peaceful view of the night sky, the calm waters meeting the clouds at infinity. The counter, which was conveniently located at a corner such that the head cook always has a good view of the entirety of his domain, was situated near the polished wood furniture, which, Lavi thought was a brilliant idea since he doesn't want to get any farther than the table to get himself fed. He was almost about his destination when he noticed that Allen isn't following him.

The bookman groaned in exasperation before grudgingly dragging his feet back to the door to get his friend moving.

'Wah, Allen, I'm dying ya know?!?! I want dinner NOW!!' a famished Lavi protested, forcing Allen to start walking by pulling the younger man by the arm.

'Seriously, making us work like slaves like that! Hey Allen, you listening?'

'Eh?,' Allen asked, confused. He's still looking at the direction Lenalee had gone to when Lavi started dragging him towards the dining table. He still can't believe Lenalee's really with them at the moment; working as a servant to help them pay his master's debt. He can't help but feel a pang of guilt for having yet another one of his friends involved with something the Marshall should be shouldering by himself.

'He's telling you to get your ass moving, baka moyashi.' Kanda coldly commented from the dining table. He carefully placed his chopsticks over his empty soba bowl then roughly pushed his chair backwards to start for the door. Halfway to his destination though, the beansprout suddenly spoke up.

'Say BA-KANDA,' Allen started, his veins popping visibly on his forehead, 'how about we go feed the horses? I bet they'd be more than happy to shave that hair of yours for free.' Allen was grinning evilly at the samurai, hunger and fatigue seemingly gone at the moment.

Lavi, on the other hand, despite his famish, can't help but laugh at the brave little comment. Allen sure is more evil when he's tired AND hungry. To remind Kanda of such a happy memory, he must be suicidal out of hunger.

Earlier in the day, Kanda was literally thrown out of the stable after freaking out all of the horses into uncontrollable whining and kicking because of his super dark aura caused by his irritation on an animal which attempted to munch his hair off his head thinking it was some sort of grass.

'What did you say BEANSPROUT?!! And shut your mouth you carrot head!!!'

'Hahaha…hey, Yuu-chan! Is that how you greet your two bestest friends who've just gone through hell?' Lavi teased Kanda who's obviously annoyed at the moment. He flung his arms around the latter's shoulder as if unaffected by the murderous mood coming from the Japanese teen.

'Where'd you go anyway?? We missed Yuu- chan a looot!!!!' Lavi inquired happily.

'Don't call me by my first name, baka usagi!!! And why the hell should I work for some idiot beansprout's debt?!' he shook off Lavi's arms then stormed his way out of the room without another word.

Allen and Lavi were totally astonished. Did Kanda just walk out the room and left them alive? The two knew better than to assume that Kanda's getting friendlier or something. It's just that he won't be content to kill them unless it's by means of slashing them mercilessly with his almighty Mugen, which, Allen was so relieved to think, was confiscated at the moment by the innkeeper. He wished the damn sword won't find its way back to its owner.

'Hey, Lavi, if Kanda had Mugen with him, you'd surely be dead by now.' Allen shook his head as he laughed nervously. He can vividly see how the earlier scene would have turned out had it been that Kanda's got his hand on his beloved sword.

Lavi started with a laugh. 'Allen, just who is it that reminded him of the horsie incident? Yuu- chan must be very lonely now without his best bud to play with!'

Allen merely shrugged his shoulders, not at all amused by Lavi's statement. He's sure not looking forward to the day Kanda would be reunited with his precious Mugen and play a little game of 'kill the beansprout and the rabbit' with it. Lavi figured Allen must still be haunted by the thought of Kanda getting back at them so he tried to cheer his friend up.

'Say, Allen, how about we go get ourselves something to eat? I'm seriously starving!' the red- haired exorcist suggested. Allen, being tired and hungry himself, can only nod his agreement and hurriedly made his way towards the dining space with the bookman.

* * *

Allen and Lavi approached one of the kitchen helpers at the counter and gave her their orders. The young woman easily took note of the bookman's bowl of noodles, and then asked Allen to repeat his preferences for about three times more before setting off to tell the kitchen staff what they wanted. After ordering, the two exorcists sat themselves comfortable around the table with Allen amusing himself with some Timcanpy- stretching just to help himself bear the hunger a little more. Luckily for the golden golem, the meal didn't take that long to get served.

'Here you go!' Lenalee arrived with some other kitchen help to serve the mountain of dishes precariously balanced over a food cart. Allen and Lavi, and even Timcanpy, started digging at their meals once everything was set on the table. Once serving was done, Lenalee sat together with her two friends knowing that she owes them a decent explanation. Lavi was the first to ask.

'Lenalee, you still haven't explained yourself yet. Why…you…here?' Lavi sipped the noodle strings noisily. 'Komui couln't have allowed you to do this,' the young bookman added once he resurfaced from his bowl of food.

'Yeah, I also want to ask you that Lenalee.' Allen said with a frown, his mitarashi dangos frozen in mid- munch. His guilt over the fact that another one of his friends got involved with his master's debt when he should solely be responsible for everything drained him of the courage to even look at Lenalee. She doesn't deserve to work here like a slave.

'I thought it was only Lavi, Kanda and me who are supposed to pay my master's debt. Like Lavi, I doubt Komui even allowed you to do this. You don't have to, Lenalee.' Allen finished, his conscience ruining his appetite at the moment.

Lenalee, understanding how Allen must feel guilty about her helping them shoulder the Marshall's liabilities, reached out her hands across the table and wrapped them tightly on Allen's blood-red left.

'Allen-kun, if you think it's your fault I have to work here then please stop blaming yourself.' Lenalee squeezed his hand even tighter to reassure him that everything is fine. Allen lifted his eyes when he felt the little pressure on his left only to find himself staring straight into Lenalees beautiful, dark eyes. He averted his gaze to look at something else and hoped it was dark enough for the two other exorcists to notice that he is indeed blushing. Luckily, Lenalee passed off his act as guilt-ridden that he can't as much as look her in the eyes. She then continued to reason out for herself.

'Allen-kun, I understand you are only worried about me that's why you don't want me to work with you here. I really appreciate your concern, Allen- kun.' Lenalee's voice cracked towards the end and Allen's head suddenly shot up to check if she's ok. Lenalee's on the verge of crying.

'Lenalee…'

'But… I decided that I want to protect you, and Lavi, and Kanda too, that's why I followed you here. Please, let me stay with you…Allen-kun...' her tears started to fall and Allen was starting to panic at the moment.

Lavi was shooting him a 'you-made-Lenalee-cry-look' while some of the kitchen maids, most of which were women, froze on their jobs for a moment to know what was happening at the table. They're all staring at Allen as if he's the vilest thing on earth for making a woman cry.

Allen felt really bad about himself for getting Lenalee into tears but then he gathered all of his courage to try to comfort the female exorcist. He reached out his right hand which was free of her grasp, then carefully wiped the falling tears off her cheeks with his thumb.

'Arigatou, Lenalee. And I'm really sorry if I tried to alter your resolve.' Lenalee raised her head to find Allen smiling sadly at her.

'Allen-kun…'

'And I know you can protect everyone, you're a strong woman after all…'

This time, it's Lenalee's turn to blush. She's been called a strong woman by Kanda once before*, but that didn't felt as sincere and warm as when Allen said it this time. She felt his warm hand slowly slipping over the side of her face and for some unknown reason, she found herself wishing that his hand would stay there longer.

_Wait, what am I thinking about?! _Lenalee thought in confusion. '_Allen-kun's only a friend, I'm his older sister, I can't think of---'_

'Oi, Allen, Lenalee, how long are ya gonna stay lovey dovey like that?! It makes me feel jealous you know?!?' the two exorcist practically jumped out of their skin when they heard the bookman's teasing. Allen snatched his hand away from Lenalee's face at once; Lenalee pulled back both of her hands that were earlier holding Allen's left one. Both were obviously red-faced despite the dark.

'Lavi, that's mean!' Allen complained. He's well aware of the young bookman's 'talent' of popping out of nowhere and enjoying people's reaction whenever he does but to do it in a situation like this? Allen can't even look Lenalee in the eye now out of embarrassment. Lenalee, on the other hand, after letting Lavi know of her complaints about his behavior, decided to go back to her work and leave the two exorcists to finish their meal. The young bookman eyed her back for a while then turned his head to the now ravenous Allen. Their reactions strongly suggest that his speculations were indeed correct.

Once the meal was finished, Lenalee came back with a few other helpers to clean out their table. Allen felt he owes Lenalee an apology (for making her cry that is, though Lenalee doesn't know for what Allen is apologizing for) so he offered helping out in doing the dishes. Lavi on the other hand, who was too tired to do any more work, decided to go out and fill his lungs with some fresh air.

When the young bookman finally got himself out into the night, he saw something, or rather someone interesting sitting on top of the stable roof. Having found something fun to do to lift off his tiredness, he extended his hammer until it reached the roof's gutters. Maybe annoying a Mugen- free Kanda would be the perfect end to this long and tiring day.

* * *

'What the hell do you want?' Kanda muttered darkly obviously not too happy to see the friendly rabbit around. 'I've had had enough of your annoying games rabbit so if you don't want me to feed your carrot head to the horses below, you better get the hell out of here right now and go burry yourself in a rabbit hole somewhere and be sure never to get out.' the Japanese teen said in his 'nicest' way possible. He was actually trying to meditate moments before Lavi decided to butt in and mess with his quiet time.

'That's so mean, Yuu- chan! I just want 'ta go somewhere quiet and youuu just happened to be here too! Good friends sure have same preferences, you know?!'

'Tsch…' Kanda tried to ignore Lavi and go back with his meditation. The bookman merely settled himself quietly beside the raven- haired exorcist, amusing himself by poking at the loose roof shingles with the tip of his little hammer.

Lavi kept silent for a few more minutes and Kanda has the odd feeling that something is really wrong with the bookman. In normal circumstances, the other exorcist would have been braiding his hair or doing heaven knows what just to annoy him. Is this some sort of trick to lure him to one of his sick jokes? Kanda decided the quiet was so eerie he can't meditate that he has to ask.

'You left her with moyashi?'

Lavi was caught off guard. Did Kanda just talk? And without any insult (for him, that is)? Wow, that should be the record of Kanda's least insulting sentence of all time though he doubt Allen would agree with that. Maybe hearing horse's whining noises soothes his head? Well, whatever, important thing is he's talking.

'Yeah, 'he finally said, 'what's wrong with that? You worried about Lenalee Yuu-chan! I can't wait till Komui finds out!' the bookman seems to be so excited about the thought.

'Che, your being silent is creeping me out, baka usagi. I can't fucking concentrate on my meditation.' Kanda complained, irritated.

Lavi was smiling but his tone was serious. 'Yes. They got a lot of talking to do you know. I don't want 'ta get in the way.' He was poking at the roof shingles again as if uninterested with what Allen and Lenalee might be talking about at the moment, some of the loose roofing materials started to fall off. But Lavi doesn't seem to notice what he's doing.

'Thought the rabbit's in love with her.' Kanda commented, still trying his best to meditate.

Lavi stared at the other exorcist incredulously. Is it that obvious? Crap, he knows he's not supposed to feel anything for anyone being a bookman and all, but for an ordinary person to read through his emotions? How many people have read through him? In all his years training as a bookman he never thought he'd be this much of a failure.

'Tsch, it's fucking obvious.' Kanda said gruffly.

'Really?' the red- head kept quiet for a little while. He's still not over that little revelation a while ago but then he remembered the reason why he followed Kanda here in the first place. He tucked the important info on his head then averted his attitude to his normal goofy self.

'Say Yuu- chan, you still blame Allen for your being involved with the debt?'

_So, telling a damn rabbit embarrassing things won't work. _Kanda thought bitterly. Another failure in his checklist of 'Ways to make an annoying, idiot rabbit bastard go away and leave you alone for good.' The bookman neither confirmed nor denied the issue either. Well, killing the red- head would still be the best way to make sure he'll never bother him again. But that would mean a problem with the Order. So before Kanda decides that his peace was more important than whatever the Order might say, he stood up and decided to find some other place where he could be alone.

'Oi, Yuu-kun, no longer talkative now, are we?'

'Tsch…' Kanda was starting to walk away, the cold night air whipping his loose hair all over. He wants to tell the red- head idiot to stop calling him by his first name but knowing Lavi, the bookman would only take it as an invitation to talk. Talk about stupid.

'Not gonna talk to me eh?! How about I tell you I know of a way you can take revenge on Allen?' Lavi, who was lying on his side now, shouted so as to be heard over the gusty winds.

'Well, if Yuuu- chan's not interested, I'm going back down now to sleep.' the bookman heaved himself up with his arm, but before he could manage to get himself up, a dark shadow came looming down over him. Raven eyes stared at him with a murderous glitter. Lavi grinned, it's the first time he's seen Kanda this interested.

The bookman held out his hand, 'Nice working with you, Yuu- chan!!!!'

* * *

Lavi felt a little evil about what he's suggested to Kanda, but if it means helping Lenalee be happy, he'd gladly take the risk. He likes Lenalee, a lot, but she's obviously not going to fall for him. Besides, there's still plenty of time before the Marshall's message, so he might as well have some fun watching Kanda try to get Allen and Lenalee together. If their plan succeeds, both him and Kanda will have the pleasure of watching Allen suffer from the hands of Komui and his hoards of Komurins. That would absolutely be wonderful to watch. Talk about having fun and getting back at Allen for snatching Lenalee's heart at the same time.

The young bookman turned his head to find Allen snoring on the next bed, Tim snuggling deeply into his snowy locks. Kanda, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found; he's refused to sleep in the same room as the 'goddamn moyashi' as he said.

Lenalee was of course sleeping in a first class room, which was of paid for by her overprotective brother. It was some condition of sorts of Komui to allow her to stay here for a long period of time. The kitchen staff must be forcing their brains numb wondering what a well-to-do young woman like her is doing washing the dishes and all.

The young bookman turned his attention on the blank stone ceiling. He can clearly see the Marshall's letter there as if it's written on the cold stone. He wonders if the general is really going to be where he says he'll be.

'The hidden _truth, _eh?' Lavi muttered. General Cross has always appealed to him as a dumb, womanizing drunkard who has nothing better to do in life but to make his apprentice suffer. But this letter surely made Lavi think more highly, if only a little, of the general. He closed his eyes, as he tried to remember the little message General Cross has left behind.

_Flashback:_

_About two weeks ago, before leaving HQ:_

'_You noticed the message Lavi?' bookman queried his grandchild as the two of them stayed at a far corner while everyone was leaving the supervisor's office._ '_You can't possibly take my position as a bookman if you can't decipher such a childish code as that.' the old man continued._

'_You sound so serious gramps! You'll lose your remaining hair in no time!' Lavi happily commented. Bookman hit him hard on the head obviously irritated at the younger man's lack of concern on the matter._

'_What did ya do that for gramps?!' Lavi protested._

'_Baka! So you didn't get it, did you?' Bookman was fuming now, he's known his grandchild was an idiot but he never expected him to miss this simple one. Quite unfit to be his successor. The very thought of Lavi taking up his position at this level is enough to make his chest feel tight. How he wished the brat will grow up. He raised his hand to hit him one more time, just to make sure he gets the lesson._

'_Yes, gramps! WAIT! I got it! I know what that meant! Happy now?' Lavi was frantically waving his hand to stop bookman from punching him again and damaging his already sore head any further. Luckily, bookman didn't continue this time. Lavi was so relieved._

'_Then, tell me, what is it?' bookman said, obviously testing Lavi._

'_I…I wasn't able to get it at first…'_

'_I'd already figured that out, baka! Else you wouldn't be laughing your head off rolling on the floor when you heard of the message.' Bookman interrupted. Lavi's a bit embarrassed, he couldn't help but blush. The old man doesn't need to remind him of that._

'_Gramps!!!'_

_Lavi stopped complaining when he saw bookman's hand starting to form a fist again. He's had enough of the old geezer's punches for today. So he decided to just continue explaining what he found out. He sighed._

'_When Komui read that part in his letter about Allen finding the _truth_ through his letter, I started to suspect that there must be something beyond whatever the Marshall would have have to say in there. Though I never thought the code message would be as stupid as that…!' Lavi was starting to laugh again and bookman decided to hit him in the stomach this time. The red- haired exorcist doubled over clutching his sore stomach. Good thing he hasn't eaten anything yet else he'll be throwing up at the moment._

'_Gramps, what was that for again?' he complained through gritted teeth. Bookman's really violent at the moment._

'_It's because of you carelessness idiot! It's only because Cross gensei said there's some truth hidden that you decided to check the letter for any code, but otherwise, would you have thought of finding hidden messages? You should always be prepared to check every document for any hidden meaning the very moment you lay eyes on them! No matter how rubbish they look! That's a basic of studying the hidden history of mankind! You never listen, baka!' bookman was clutching at his chest now. Lavi, who's gotten over bookman's violence earlier, gave the old man an apologetic smile. Bookman only wants him to be a good bookman, and he really appreciates all the efforts he's put into teaching him. He started to get up, all the way ruffling his red locks._

'_I'm sorry gramps. I'll try to be better next time.' Bookman said nothing so Lavi decided to pick up on his explanation._

'_Well, Komui's letter stated that what Marshall Cross "told Allen is enough to find the truth." So I immediately removed the general's sign because 'Cross' is merely a sign, it isn't told, the word wasn't addressed to Allen. Just a part of the letter.' Lavi paused, waiting for bookman's reaction. The old man was merely watching, so he continued._

'_What's left of the message is only this:_

_**Dear Allen,**_

_**Debt in the Arturoe Marqo docks,**_

_**has 6185135.'**_

_Bookman nodded. Lavi was so relieved that he's getting the thing right. He heaved a huge sigh before moving on with the explanation._

'_So I tried to scramble the letters and disregarded the numbers first, but the resulting thing just makes no sense. Then I started to put the numbers into consideration. I tried to find patterns, series, anything that might make the jumbled letters make sense but still there's none. So I figured the numbers might just have a corresponding letter in the alphabet or something. I tried finding the corresponding letter for each individual number, but that didn't work. I tried in pairs, still none. But when I tried it alternately, the first number in individual, the next two in pair, there's something interesting that came out.'_

_Bookman nodded. 'That's still a lot of time before you figured that out. You've still got a way to go, baka.'_

'_Really? That letter's a piece of cake gramps!!' Lavi exclaimed happily._

_Bookman merely harrumphed before starting for the door with his predecessor following closely behind. The young man was so full of himself after figuring out such a simple message. He's still got a lot to learn. A long time 'til he proves himself worthy of succeeding the current bookman._

_End of flashback…_

Lavi opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling once more, a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

'**d e a r a l l e n d e b t i n t h e a r t u r o e m a r q o d o c k s h a s f r e m e,' **the young bookman recited the letters in the manner they are arranged in the Marshall's note. He imagined the letters moving and rearranging themselves on the stone ceiling. He read out loud...

'**SEE ME IN OLD BLACK ORDER HEADQUARTERS AFTER A MONTH…'**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**

**A/N: **.hmm, what should I say? Well, same things as last time I posted this chapter…

-Okairi = welcome back

-Kanda told Lenalee she's a strong person a little before the level four attack on old hq… it's on chapter 138 of the manga…

-Mugen's confiscated and I'll have some fun writing about Kanda without his Mugen for a few more chapters to come… ",

I'm not good at writing romance stuff but I'll try my best to get better at doing those AllenxLenalee moments. Again, my apologies for writing ridiculously long stuff. Anyhow, thanks to everyone who read! And of course thanks to **Sephant, ponyboy2309**, and **dbzgtfan2004** for their reviews for the first chapter! Thanks **Vincent Noir** and **natcat5** for your comments on this chapter! You guys surely made continuing this story worth all the effort!

**Preview for next chapter:** Kanda's (and Lavi's) 'evil' plan is in motion! What're they planning to do?


	3. Lotus

A/N: .chapter three at last! I'm really sorry if it took so long to be posted. Sigh…

Disclaimer: I don't own man or any of its characters…

Chapter 3: Lotus

_Crack!_

Broken shards of china littered the floor after Allen Walker suddenly shot up from his seat, knocking a couple of plates and other dinner wares in the process. He was clutching at his throat tightly, his eyes wide in shock as he continued to stare at the broken pieces of ceramics.

'What's the matter, Allen-kun?' Lenalee's already on her feet, making her way around the table to go check on Allen, worry apparent in her voice.

The white-haired exorcist opened his mouth as if to answer, but then closed it again without saying a word. He raised his head only to meet the questioning gazes of his friends and some other kitchen helpers who've happened to witness the incident that happened a little while back.

'Allen-kun?' Lenalee, together with Lavi and even Kanda were now standing around the shocked youth, the former placing her hands on his shoulder.

'Allen-k-?'

'Oi, Allen?!' Lavi suddenly cut off, earning him a glare from Allen for not letting Lenalee finish with her sentence. 'Don't ya feel odd or something?' the bookman added, his voice suspiciously excited. Allen's glare turned into an accusing stare after realizing what the older exorcist just said.

_So this was your doing, Lavi!! _Allen thought bitterly. He's trying his best to speak, to tell them what was happening, but sadly, his voice won't come out. What the hell did Lavi do to him?

'Tsch, I told you it wouldn't work, baka usagi.' Allen's head turned to Kanda's direction. The raven haired samurai was wearing a smug look on his face.

_You're even involved, BA-KANDA!! What the hell did you do? I can't talk!!!? _Allen was all red in the face now, totally angry and frustrated at not being able to talk. He stared back at Lavi who was wearing an expectant look on his face.

'That's impossible Yuu-chan! I poured everything into his drink!!' the young bookman protested, his comment pulling all eyes to the broken tea cup on the floor. Allen and Lenalee returned their gazes to Lavi, who was apparently surprised at himself for revealing their secret in front of everyone. He easily recovered though then once again bugged Allen to check if the potion did work or not.

'Oi, Allen, you not eager to kiss Lenalee or something?!'

'Lavi!!!' Lenalee was vigorously shaking Lavi, clutching the neck of his jacket, totally embarrassed by the bookman's words. Allen, on the other hand, has wisely smashed his boots on the red-head's face.

'MMMMPH, HMMMPH, HMMMMMMMPHHHH!!!!!!' (read: WHAT THE HELL DID YOU PUT IN MY TEA LAVI!!!!!!!)

'What?!!!!' the bookman asked from underneath one of Allen's boots.

'MMMMPH GRRRMPPPHH UMPPH HHHMPH!' (read: I'M ASKING WHAT THE HECK IS WITH THAT TEA!!! WHY CAN'T I TALK?!)

'Eh?!' Lavi was totally confused at the moment. As a bookman, he's had a fairly good exposure with various kinds of potions and he was quite sure the one he used on Allen was among the ones that truly work. He tried to search for the potion underneath his jacket despite the violent shaking courtesy of Lenalee and Allen. However, when he finally succeeded in extracting the potion vial from its hiding place, the bottle slipped from his hand then rolled across the floor. Lenalee picked up the empty bottle at once.

'Eternal Silence?!' Lenalee read, turning the bottle to see the descriptions at the back. Lavi, who had finally got out of Allen's grip, rushed to the female exorcist's side as if unable to believe what he's hearing. His green eyes widened.

'HOLY CRAP!!!!'

* * *

_The day before the incident…_

_Lavi held a vial against the light of the afternoon sun as he tried to examine the slimy green content of the product. After staring at it for a few minutes, he nodded his head in satisfaction then placed the bottle back in its rack to pull his money out of his pocket. He handed the old Chinese merchant his payment then turned to face the irritated samurai standing a little far off from the store._

_ The raven haired exorcist was apparently not too happy of the prospect of being mistaken as a costumer of the grubby potion establishment and he's absolutely not into the idea of using stupid concoctions to get the beansprout confess his feelings for Lenalee. In his own opinion, there is no other method that beats torturing the moyashi in some far off forest clearing into conceding his love for Komui's little sister._

_ 'Hey, Yuu-chan~~~!!! I've found the potion!!!! Here!!!!'_

_ The annoying rabbit was happily waving at Kanda from the other side of the street. Some passersby stopped to stare at him, then, at Lavi on the other side. A visible vein popped out of his forehead as he effectively frightened off the onlookers with his evil glare._

_ 'Don't you dare call me by my first name, baka- usagi!!!' Kanda yelled from across the shop before turning around to leave._

_ 'Hey, YUU-CHAN!!!! Wait!!!!' Lavi quickly grabbed the vial from the shelf of green bottles, then followed his 'friend' as fast as he could. He could barely hear the store owner yelling at him from behind, but disregarded it as a call to come back again at his shop. He placed the vial safely inside his jacket, as he followed Kanda back to the inn._

_End of flashback…_

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

'…'

The walk back to the exorcists' quarters after a long tiring day of work was an awkward one for Lavi, who was trying to throw jokes at Allen who only returned his efforts with a cold glare. The white- haired exorcist has already forgiven Lavi for what happened, after the bookman admitted that he indeed corrupted his drink with a potion that devoid him of his ability to talk for weeks on end, depending on the amount of concoction used. Though he and Kanda refused to tell him and Lenalee what it is that they really intend to make him drink. It must be their idea of fun after being stucked with him here for exactly two weeks now. He's really thankful of their help with the debt and he doesn't want to get all angry just because of a stupid potion. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't get any revenge. An evil smile crept on his face.

'Ano, Allen?'

'hnnhmmphhphmmphgghfffffhnnnnn!' (It's fine Lavi, really! I'm not angry at all!)

'Eh??... Err, Ok?!' the young bookman didn't understand a thing but took the cheery voice of the other exorcist as a sign that he has already forgiven him. He was somehow relieved.

'hnnhmmphhphmmphgghfffffhnnnnn.' (But it doesn't mean I'm not getting back at you and that BA-KANDA for doing this to me!!!) Allen said, knowing that the red-haired exorcist won't have any idea of what he's talking about anyway. Lavi noticed the evil glitter in Allen's eyes but then nodded to his friend happily, glad that they're having a conversation, of sorts, after having been ignored the entire day.

After a few more minutes, the two reached the end of the hallway where their room was situated. Allen was the first to enter, but then he suddenly stopped when he noticed a blonde man scribbling at the corner. Lavi bumped at him from behind, forcing the younger exorcist to take a few more steps deeper into the room.

'Allen, what's the—?' Lavi cut off when he also noticed the new person inside their room. The new arrival stood from the desk when he noticed the two exorcists come in.

'It's been a while Walker.' Link said indifferently, holding out a stack of papers that could only be questionnaires to Allen.

'HMMPH?! (LINK?!!!!)

The inspector raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner, turning his gaze to the red- haired bookman for an explanation.

'What's happening, bookman?' Link queried, worrying that the 14th had taken over Allen during his absence. 'Is this the 14th's---?'

'Nah, it's not! I'll explain everything!'

* * *

'What?!!? You made him drink a potion that made him mute!?' Link was absolutely not too happy to hear of the news. Lavi nodded his head to confirm what the inspector said.

'And you, together with Yuu Kanda, did this for fun?' the blonde man was scribbling something on his notebook which Lavi could only suppose were recommendations on what punishments to give them when they get back. The bookman didn't answer but Link doesn't seem to mind.

'I'll make sure the secretary hears of this. And I'll have you and Yuu Kanda to help out with doing more questionnaires since you're the ones responsible for this.'

Lavi merely replied with a sick smile. He wasn't looking forward to Leverrier knowing of what happened. He wonders how the hell Allen and the rest of them can get to meet the Marshall now that they're on Link's close watch.

'HHHHHNNNNNNFFF?!!!' (There'll be more of these?!!!!) Allen asked, slumped at the corner while trying to fill out the mountain of questionnaires that Link had brought with him. These papers were endless.

'Pardon me?'

'Allen said he's enjoying the paperwork.' Lavi grinned playfully at the younger exorcist. Allen crumpled some sheets and threw them at Lavi as a protest. The young bookman was laughing loudly, apparently enjoying the role as translator.

'Ah, don't worry Walker, there will be more questionnaires after that since you can't talk and I can't possibly interview you like before.' Link said flatly; now back on his own bunch of paperwork at the corner. Allen sighed in defeat as he went back to answering the mountain of papers in front of him.

Allen sighed as he finished the last sheet of questionnaire for the night; his hands numb from all the writing. To make it worse, Lavi had been translating every other sound he makes into random preposterous stuff, with Link believing every single word just because the red-head's a bookman. Luckily for him, Lavi had fallen asleep when he's halfway through the papers, making the work a little more bearable. Link had gone to bed a few minutes ago, after he finished with his own set of papers. Allen doesn't feel like sleeping yet, so he decided a good walk across the inn's yard and a lungful of fresh night air would be a good idea. However, when he opened the door, someone was waiting for him.

* * *

_Lenalee?!_ Allen thought, seeing the female exorcist sitting on the cold floor. Lenalee stood at once when he saw Allen come out of the room.

'Ah, Allen-kun, I was worried about you so I came here. I heard from Lavi that the inspector was making you answer questionnaires again when he came out earlier in the night so I decided I'd just wait for you to finish.'

_He made you wait here?!_

'Lavi told me to go back tomorrow but I didn't listen.' Lenalee added noticing Allen's reaction. 'So how are you feeling now, Allen- kun? Why are you out this late at night?'

Allen smiled at her to assure her he was perfectly fine but then can't find a way to answer the last question so he went back to the room to get something to write on.

'_Thanks for your concern Lenalee. You shouldn't have stayed this late just to check on me. I'm just going out for a walk now because I can't sleep.'_

'Oh no, it's not your fault I'm out here Allen-kun. I can't sleep as well. I'm worried about you.'

'_That's overprotection Lenalee.'_ Allen smiled despite his tiredness. Lenalee chuckled once she read what was written.

'Say Allen- kun, how about I accompany you for a while? I know a good place for a night walk.'

'_Lenalee, you don't have to go. I can manage, please go to bed.'_

'I won't take no as an answer Allen-kun! I've been sitting on the floor for hours now and I also need to stretch my legs. So I will come with you, neh?'

Knowing that Lenalee's not going to let him go alone, he let the female exorcist lead the way out of the inn into moonlit August night.

* * *

'_Wow, I never knew there was a place like this in this town!' _Allen wrote down on the notebook he's brought with him. He and Lenalee were standing over a bridge overlooking a beautiful pond filled with flowering lotuses. It was well into the night now but then seeing the wonderful sight in front of them makes it worth coming all the way to the outskirts of town.

'_How did you find this place Lenalee? It's so far from the inn.' _the place was so much off the main road, and it was quite impossible that Lenalee got herself lost at her way to the inn. Allen can't help but ask.

'I happened to pass by here when I first arrived at this town. I helped this young girl come home after being lost in the marketplace that day, and she and her grandparents live near here.' Lenalee stated, her short raven locks dancing in the gentle breeze. She blushed as she read Allen's next message.

'_Wow, you're really kind, Lenalee' _

'Ah, no, it's my duty to help Allen-kun!' she was waving her hands in front of her as if to emphasize the words. The two chuckled for a while before turning their attention back to the flowers.

'The lotuses are beautiful, aren't they?'

Allen nodded his head in agreement. The flowers sure are a beautiful sight after the mountain of printed words he's had to deal with earlier. He shook his head to get rid of the thought, he's not about to ruin his good mood by remembering those torturous pages. The two of them stared at the calm water for a long while.

'Allen-kun, do you know what lotuses mean?' Lenalee suddenly broke the silence. Allen merely stared at her.

'…'

'They're supposed to symbolize forgetfulness, do you know that?'

'…' the white- haired exorcist shook his head to answer her question. He knows that flowers do symbolize one thing or another but he never really gave mind to what they mean. He stared at the flowers floating on the calm water and wondered how anyone could give them such a harsh interpretation.

'I've read that from one of nii-san's books on botany a long time ago. A flower that makes you forget everything? As a young girl, I used to hate these flowers, Allen-kun.' Lenalee's sad gaze swept over the floating white and pink blossoms. Allen wished he had the voice to tell Lenalee that they could go some other place if she feels sad looking at the lotuses. He started to scribble on his notebook but then Lenalee continued.

'But when I entered the Order Allen-kun, I realized that most of the time, I wish I can just go ahead and forget about everything- the world, the Akumas, the Millenium Earl. That's when I started to find comfort staring at these flowers.'

_Lenalee…_Allen thought, not knowing exactly what to say, or rather, scribble. The female exorcist suddenly turned to face Allen, a determined look on her face.

'Allen-kun, I know you'd never wish to forget those things, or maybe you can't, but please bear in mind that I'm always here, we are always here, to help you carry the burden. Please, don't ever forget that.'

Allen can't help the tears from falling. Lenalee just reminded him of something he nearly forgot because of everything that happened that day. He wanted to thank her for everything she's done but can't say it so he did the first thing that crossed his mind. He pulled Lenalee into a tight hug.

* * *

A little ways off, two exorcists were hiding among the shadows of fruit-bearing peach trees. They've been watching the entire exchange the whole time.

'Say, Timcanpy, did ya see all of that?' the red- haired bookman asked, rolling the empty potion vial on the dirt. The golden golem moved its body in a nodding motion, apparently not too happy to have been awakened in the middle of the night. Lavi's smirk widened.

'The love potion did work, don't you think, Yuu- chan?' Lavi asked his companion in a playful tone.

'Tsch. You got the wrong bottle, baka- usagi!!' the raven- haired snapped.

'Hehe, I'm glad I did. It was fun translating for moyashi you know. Hey, you leaving already, Yuu-chan?!' Lavi called out when he noticed Kanda starting to leave. It seems that Kanda's been on edge since arriving at this place, though it wasn't evident on the outside.

'I hate lotuses,' was all Kanda said before finally getting lost in the night's shadows.

* * *

A/N: .well, thanks to everybody who read! And I'm really sorry for the long delay. The past week's been a harsh one (I got sick, not to mention I have this plate to finish) so I wasn't able to update fast. I'm sorry. ^^.

Anyways, I've edited the last chapter a bit to correct some minor mistakes. You don't have to reread it if you've read it last time. It's just the same stuff. ",

About the lotuses and the peaches, according to my research, the peaches bear fruit and the lotuses bloom by mid- August, during summer in China. I'm seriously not familiar with this because I live in a tropical country so I would really appreciate it if you point it out if ever I'm mistaken. I would gladly make corrections at once.

I hope everybody enjoyed this new chapter! I'm not sure when I can possibly post the next one because I'm trying to focus on school work but I'll surely be posting multiple chapters once Christmas break kicks in. Again, I'm sorry for any grammatical/spelling mistake/s. An advanced merry Christmas to everyone!


	4. Potions Again?

**A/N: **Finally, I'm back!!! I'm really sorry for the late update and thanks to everybody who are still reading, and waiting, for the 'Hidden Truth' to be unveiled. Happy holidays to everyone!!!

Disclaimer: Don't own –Man or any of its characters.

**Chapter 4: Potions…Again?!**

Allen buried his face deeper on Lenalee's shoulders, muffled sobs coming farther apart now than they've come moments ago. His knuckles are starting to turn white after long minutes of clutching the back of the older exorcist's coat.

'Allen- kun?' Lenalee eyed the white- haired youth sideways, worry laced with her soft voice.

'Are you ok now?'

The female exorcist felt him nod against her shoulder. She let out a sigh of relief.

'I see…'

Lenalee propped her head lightly beside his then waited patiently for the sobs to subside. Never before has she seen Allen this open and fragile, and she wants to give him the moment to cry his worries out. She wants to give him time to be himself.

No fake smiles.

No sad smiling eyes.

No exorcist trying to take the world head-on.

Just a white- haired youth seeking comfort in a woman's arms. In her arms.

Lenalee closed her eyes and secretly wished she could do more for Allen Walker.

* * *

_The following day…._

'Where did you go to last night, Walker?' Link asked coldly from across the table.

Allen nearly choked on his tea at the sudden question. He picked up his notebook and his pen at once.

_'How did you know I went out, Link?'_

'Just answer the question, Walker. We can't afford to lose time and I still have a lot of questions to ask. Anyway, answer these before starting with your work.' the inspector shoved him a particularly thick bunch of papers.

_Not again… _The youth glared at the white pages before picking up his notebook to answer.

'_I just went out for a little walk, Link. That mountain of questionnaires got me so exhausted. I just want a breath of fresh air. And don't worry, I won't be taken over by the 14__th__ if I walk around without a babysitter.'_

The inspector took a sip of his tea before answering in monotonous tones.

'Don't take the matter of the 14th too lightly, boy. And I know you're out with Lenalee Lee last night. What I'm interested to know is _**to where**_ did the two of you go.'

Allen's face paled at the mention of Lenalee's name. Link was looking at him expectantly, but his hands won't move from shock.

_How did Link found out?_

* * *

Luckily for Allen Walker, Lavi decided to butt in and save his neck. The young bookman said something like '_carrying barrels of wine_' to the inspector before grabbing Allen by the collar and dragging him outside.

Link tried to stop the red- head, screaming what barely sounded like '_reporting to the Secretary' _but Allen was too confused with his emotions to even notice. The sound of Lenalee's name made him feel jittery all of a sudden and he was so shocked at the foreign emotion he can't think straight at the moment.

_Why? _he thought bitterly, not wanting to acknowledge the answer that was screaming inside his head.

_She's like an one- san to me… Why?..._

Yes, Lenalee's his older sister. And he's definitely just a younger brother in her eyes. He definitely admires her strength of will, her caring nature, her gentle way of dealing with things.

And most of all, he respects her.

He motioned Lavi to stop pulling him by the neck, and then walked quietly beside the older exorcist. A golden golem perched itself gracefully on his head, and somehow, Allen felt really thankful for the fellow's company.

* * *

Lavi is bored.

After taking the effort of saving a pale beansprout from the hands of an annoying inspector, here he was, stuck in some dark corner of a dusty alleyway with a non-responsive Allen and an angry-looking Kanda who was trying to ignore him and moyashi altogether.

_At least I'm escaping dockwork.' _he merrily thought.

He remembered the reason why he has to bring Allen here in the first place and started digging the important parcel out of his jacket.

Allen noticed the bulgy brown paper bag that Lavi had extracted from his clothing. For a moment, he forgot his odd feelings towards Lenalee that was bothering him as he saw the playful glint in the bookman's eyes.

Suspiciously. Playful. Glint.

He wisely picked up his pen to ask what kind of trouble he will be getting into. Soon.

'Why did you bring me here, Lavi?' the white-haired boy wrote, barely recalling Lavi saying he has something important to tell him on their way here. He wasstarting to get nervous by the minute.

'Good for ya ta ask, moyashi! I thought ya ain't going ta talk, nah, write anything for the entire day!' he sang.

The moyashi glared daggers at Lavi at the mention of the insult. He chose to ignore the deathglare and get on with the business at hand.

He opened the parcel and noticed the loud gulp coming from his white-haired comrade.

Tiny, green bottles glinted against the early morning rays that managed to reach the far end of the deserted walk way. Their dark contents shined evilly as the bookman mixed the potion vials inside the bag.

Allen stared at the bookman inquiringly.

'These!'the red-haired exorcist exclaimed, 'are what I brought you here for, Allen!'

Allen's shaky fingers pulled out one vial from the bag, then raised one white eyebrow as he mentally read the label.

_De- worming?!!!_

He threw Lavi a disgusted look then with angry hands, wrote,

**'WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE!!!'**

'More potions of course Allen!!! Ohm and some medicines I guess?' the bookman said, picking up a vial with crushed leaves suspended in some clear liquid. The label read 'cough and cold.'

A small bottle flew straight at Lavi's face, but luckily, the bookman saw the attack and caught it.

'Hehe, I know the trauma the sight of these little green fellows give you Allen, but you see, they're originally not for you!'

_Originally, yeah…_ the young exorcist thought bitterly.

'You see, Yuu- chan and I thought of a brilliant plan to help 'ya get rid of the inspector's questionnaires, like making him forget doing those.' he paused as he heard someone mutter darkly about an idiot rabbit calling his first name. He ignored it anyway.

'But anyway, this old man at the potion shop said that some potion, even medicines for various diseases can sometimes counter the effect of another potion.'

The bookman started uncapping the bottle he caught earlier, and Allen took several steps back. He has his notebook raised protectively over his face as Lavi came closer. To his utter dismay, he found himself wishing he was somewhere else answering mountains of questionnaires with a stoic Link.

Anywhere, just away from Lavi.

Allen's back hit something solid and his eyes widened as realized the unfortunate situation he's in. He's cornered.

* * *

Lavi was enjoying the scared and panicked look on Allen's eyes. He's not angry with the younger man or anything but he's absolutely not dreaming of helping the inspector make boring questionnaires all through the night. And so, he has to help Allen get back to normal.

The bookman actually has an antidote at hand, but Lavi strongly believed that the long way is always the best remedy. And the most rewarding to boot. He held out the bottle to the younger exorcist.

He sang, 'Say ahhhh, Allen- chan!'

* * *

**A/N: **.that was a pretty short chapter! I'm really sorry for the long delay! To make up for the lateness, I'll be posting another longer chapter by Saturday as I've promised multiple updates this vacation. I hope I can finish it early because I really feel bad about not being able to update for so long. My apologies to everyone!

Thanks to everyone who read! And a big,big hug to the people who kindly gave their reviews!! You guys are my reason to continue writing! Thanks a lot and enjoy the rest of the holidays!

Next chapter....

**_Chapter 5: Memories of Rosanne_**

_Summary: A potted nightmare from Allen's distant and unhappy past...comes back...'',  
_


	5. Chapter 5: Memories of Rosanne

**A/N: **as promised, the second update for this week…('',

I really think I got Lenalee so out of character at the start but she's supposed to be worrying sick about Allen so she was kinda on edge. I hope you enjoy this chapter…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own –Man or any of its characters.

**Chapter 5: Memories of Rosanne**

'I'm really, really sorry, Lenalee!!!' Lavi pleaded the female exorcist who was angrily stomping past the stable yard to find their white- haired friend. She's definitely angry at the two other exorcists following on her heels, after learning from a scullery maid what they did to Allen early that morning.

'We're just trying 'ta scare him, I was…'

'Bored…' Lenalee said flatly.

The bookman ruffled his fiery locks in exasperation before deciding it would be best to tell the female exorcist the truth.

'Yeah, maybe I was. But believe me Lenalee, we're not trying to do anything bad to Allen!!!'

'You already did Lavi. I never thought you were this immature. Aren't we supposed to be his friends? Aren't you two supposed to be his older brothers?' Kanda coughed roughly at that.

'Yeah, but…'

'But you got bored and decided it would be fun seeing Allen- kun suffer?'

'No, it's not that!'

'So why, Lavi? You and Kanda already made him mute, what else do you plan to do to him with all of those potions?'

'Lenalee, listen…'

'No, I'm not going to listen, Lavi!!! It's already night and he hasn't returned yet. He must be somewhere out here cold and starving!'

'LENALEE, I SAID LISTEN!!'

Lenalee cut off her sentence with Lavi's sudden outburst. Her eyes started to sting and not moments later, she felt the tears streaming down her face.

'Why, Lavi?'

'Lenalee, I…'

'You made her cry, baka- usagi…'

'I'm sorry Lenalee...Please stop crying!!! We know where Allen is, ok?! Please don't cry!!'

Lenalee's head shot up at the mention of Allen's name. Is it really true that the bookman knows of his whereabouts? She heaved a huge sigh of relief, glad that Allen isn't really missing. But where could he be at this hour?

'We even brought him food for lunch and dinner, Lenalee!! Cartloads of it actually!! So see, he's not starving right, Yuu- chan?!'

'Tsch, as if I care if he dies of hunger.'

'Ehh?!...hehe…just don't listen to him Lenalee!'

'Wh..where is Allen- kun, Lavi?'

The bookman's smile froze. The innkeeper told them to keep it a secret but then, this is Lenalee. His conscience (yes, Lavi has something called conscience) won't allow him to lie to her seeing as she's worried dead about the moyashi's whereabouts. He hesitated for a few more seconds before answering.

''Tis supposed 'ta be a secret Lenalee, but 'ya see, Allen's got a new job now.'

Lenalee looked at the bookman inquiringly.

'Allen's at the cellar now…with Rose Anne…'

* * *

The dark cellar of the inn was filled to the brim with various odds and ends that Arturoe Marqo, the old innkeeper, keeps in possession, aside from the barrels of ale and wine stacked neatly at the far corner nearest the stairs. Allen can barely move in the cramped space and his nose feel itchy from all the dust. He's almost finished answering the stack of paper that Link has brought with him earlier in the day.

_Once I get my hands on that Lavi and that Ba-Kanda!' _he though bitterly, remembering how the two exorcists managed to blackmail him into this…_job._

_Flashback:_

''_Ya don't want to drink this, right, moyashi- chan?' Lavi said in a singsong voice. The bookman was cupping the younger man's chin with one hand, the green bottle held in another. Allen desperately kept his mouth shut, trying with all his might to keep the medicine bottle away by holding Lavi by the wrist with both of his hands._

'_FNPGRFFFFFF!!!!!' (Of course I don't want to, you idiot!!)_

'_Oh, that kinda hurts, Allen- kun!' the bookman said coolly in response to the younger man's angry tones. 'You know, you really don't' have to go through the pain of drinking all that when awesome me could actually give you a ready antidote!'_

_Allen stopped with his struggling the moment Lavi mentioned antidote. He grabbed the red- haired exorcist by the front of his shirt and demanded the bookman to give him the counter- drug immediately._

'_HNNNNFPHHHH!!!!' (Where is it?! Give me the antidote Lavi!!!)_

'_Oh, calm down moyashi- chan!!' Allen shook him even harder because of the insult. Lavi's starting to get dizzy._

'_Alright, alright!!! Stop it please!!! Allen, I'm gonna puke!!'_

'…'

'_Fine, fine!!! I'll give it to you in one condition…'_

_The voiceless exorcist let go of the bookman at once and nodded his head fervently. He'd do anything just to get his voice back. That would definitely cut the questionnaires by half._

'_Ok, so this is what 'yar gonna do. You'll have to look after the manager's precious 'pet,' 'ya fine with that?'_

_Allen nodded._

'_Good. She's being kept at the cellar and 'ya have 'ta stay with her for about a week down there.'_

_..Nod._

'_And 'ya have 'ta feed her well with meat…'_

_.Nod.._

'_And never get angry or think of unhappy thoughts while yer around her. She might bite you…'_

_.Nod.._

'_And put in lots of fertilizer too…'_

Wait... _Do animals need fertilizer to live? Lavi must be joking. Allen threw him an incredulous stare._

'_And most important 'ta remember, if ever Rose Anne bites you, think of happy thoughts and say 'I Love You.''_

_Allen's eyes widened in horror._

And so here he was, stuck in the middle of a huge but cramped space with a blonde inspector who was very busy exploring the innkeeper's hidden collections and a carnivorous plant which all but reminded him of his terrible, terrible past.

_Rose Anne…_

Is it mere coincidence that this plant has almost the same name as the one that Marshall Cross forced him to take care of? It can't possibly be the same plant considering what Krory said about Rosanne drying up suddenly when it tried to bite him and transfer the Innocence it has within. Yeah it might be a completely different plant but still, he can't bear to look at the flower directly, not with all the _happy_ memories that flood his mind whenever he does.

Allen rubbed his eyes tiredly, and then decided to carry on with the boring questionnaires. As he read through the next questionb though, someone called out to him from the foot of stairs.

'Allen- kun!!!'

If the sight of Rose Anne brings back bitter memories from Allen's distant past, the sight of a worried Lenalee making her way towards him is even worse. He can clearly recall the events of last night…

_Flashback:_

_After crying his heart out for what felt like forever, Allen lifted his head off the female exorcist's shoulders. He noticed how wet the fabric of Lenalee's coat was, and he jerked his head off all the way then fixed his puffy eyes on her dark orbs apologetically._

'_It's fine Allen- kun. No need to be sorry, neh? Trust me, I know someone who cries rivers more than you do.' the female exorcist said with a laugh, thinking of how her older brother cries over the most trivial of matters._

_The younger exorcist caught the implication of her statement and can't help but smile at the thought of Komui crying. He wish he had the voice to thank Lenalee for letting him cry on her shoulders, but he dropped his notebook earlier and has no other way to tell her that. So, slowly, he loosened his grip on Lenalee's back and tried to pull back from the hug but to his surprise, the female exorcist isn't letting go._

_He turned his head to look at her inquiringly, but Lenalee's already buried her face on his chest._

'_I still haven't thanked you, Allen- kun…Arigatou…'_

_For the first time, Allen noticed just how close the two of them are. _

_Literally._

_His heart seem to skip a bit as he felt Lenalee's warmth seeping through his coat to his skin; her slow breathing as she murmured against him._

'…_for trusting in me…'_

_He's quite sure his face would certainly be redder than Lavi's hair set on fire right now. Or perhaps, even more. He knows he should feel uneasy with this closeness, but to his horror, he found himself wishing to get even closer to the woman in his arms._

'No!!! I'm not a perverted idiot like my master!!!'

'…_and for believing in your friends…'_

_Allen was totally confused at the moment. Why the heck does he feel the urge to pull her closer to him?_

'…_I'm really happy for you…'_

_It took Allen all his effort to resist the urge to put his arms back tightly around her._

No, she's like an older sister… _the young exorcist thought._

_But Allen knew that it isn't the truth. Those words…_

She's like an older sister… Lenalee _was…_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

Lenalee ran towards Allen the moment she laid her eyes on the white- haired boy. The female exorcist nearly tripped a couple of times from all the things cluttered on the floor but Lenalee doesn't mind. Important thing is, she found Allen, seemingly safe despite the gloomy place he has to stay in.

'Allen- kun!!!'

The female exorcist threw herself in his arms at once. She was so worried about Allen for the entire day she barely noticed she was hugging the boy too tightly. Allen tugged at her arms to tell her he can barely breath, and Lenalee pulled away at once. She felt her cheeks warm up in embarrassment.

'I'm so sorry Allen- kun!!! I thought Lavi did something to you again, I was so worried!'

For the first time, Allen felt thankful for the fact that he is voiceless at the moment else he'd be stuttering in response to the female exorcist. The odd, jittery feeling is back, and he pulled out his notebook and pen from all the clutter then wrote nervously.

'_I'm sorry Lenalee for making you worry. And you don't have to apologize at all, I understand.'_

'No, it's not your fault! I'm just happy that you're fine.'

Lenalee sat across the white- haired boy, her gaze sweeping across the large room. Lavi said Allen's got a new job now but aside from all the white papers stacked beside the young exorcist, Lenalee can't help but wonder what else he could be doing in this dark place. She remembered Lavi saying that the young man's with someone called _Rose Anne_, and her cheeks blushed madly at the thought of Allen working down in a dark, isolated place with another woman. It must be another one of the managers helpers, but even so, she wished the innkeeper could have chosen her instead to keep the young man company. She can't help but ask.

'Anyways, what are you doing down here, Allen- kun? Lavi and Kanda won't tell me.' her voice was undeniably bitter. Where could this Rose Anne be at the moment?

As if to answer Lenalee's question a pink, fanged flower suddenly popped out of the dark and munched the uneasy exorcist's right arm. Lenalee motioned to drop a book on the creature's head but Allen raised his free hand to stop her.

'Allen- kun, what is…that?' Lenalee asked, surprised at the sudden intrusion.

Allen used his equally able left arm to compose his reply.

'_It's Rose Anne, Lenalee… It's my job to take care of her…'_

'Ah… I see…' Lenalee said in relief when she saw that the supposedly female helper she was so jealous of a couple of moments ago was actually a flower. She looked at Allen worriedly, the plant seems to be not letting go of the other exorcist any time soon.

'Are you ok, Allen- kun? How can I help you?'

_'It's fine, Lenalee. I know how to make Rose Anne stop. I took care of another plant like her when I was still travelling with master.' _he wrote.

'I see...'the female exorcist settled on her previous sitting spot, hoping that Allen would manage to fend off the plant soon. Rose Anne seems to be very agitated; maybe it's because of her?

Allen on the other hand, tried to calm down, to think of happy thoughts, even tried to think of food, just to calm himself down, but Lenalee's presence won't allow him to do so. His heart thumped faster with every second that Lenalee's with him in the cellar. Alone with her, that is.

The female exorcist was starting to get more worried by the minute. Allen doesn't seem to be having any luck with trying to get the plant off him seeing that the carnivour was biting even deeper on the other exorcist's skin.

'Ah, Allen- kun…I think I should really help you.'

_Darn it_! Allen thought bitterly. With Lenalee making him feel so uneasy, he can't get himself to relax and Rose Anne is sensing his unease. The bite was starting to hurt, and he knew for a fact that he indeed needs the help of the other exorcist. If only he had the voice! He hesitated for a moment then wrote some instructions.

'_Lenalee, you have to make the plant feel loved…so think of happy thoughts and tell these words to Rose Anne…'_

Lenalee raised her eyebrows in confusion. Will those words really make the plant stop? Allen said he had experience taking care of the plant, so maybe, saying those words would really make Rose Anne calm down.

And so, she started off with thinking of happy thoughts. She started to imagine all of her friends, her brother, the Order...

'I…love…you…'

She tried to paste her eyes on the pink creature which seems to be loosening its bite at the moment. But no matter how hard she tried to keep looking at the strange creature, her eyes started to wander higher and higher, until a few seconds later, she was staring at Allen's shoulder instead of looking at the plant. She remembered well how those shoulders felt last night when Allen was crying in her arms at the lotus pond. She thought she'd be content to rest her head there forever if she had the chance.

_Wait, what? _Lenalee's dark orbs were starting to get wide by the second. The words felt as if she really **mean** them. Her gaze went even higher.

'I love you…I love you… I love you…'

Is this the reason why she wants to be always by his side that much? To always protect him? She's starting to get afraid at how the white- haired boy would react if he finds out that the words are really meant for him.

'I love you...I love you...I love you...'

The plant has already let go of Allen but Lenalee was still chanting. She's already staring at the white- haired youth's shocked lilac eyes. Allen's staring at her in disbelief.

'I love you…'

'...'

'Allen- kun…?'

* * *

**A/N: **Oh, how I love doing this chapter! Finally, Lenalee realizing that she really likes Allen- kun! Yehey!! I hope you enjoyed this chap, and a Happy New Year to everyone! =)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **After a month of not updating, I'm finally back! I'm really sorry for the long delay. I had to work on three major plates, not to mention other school stuff for the past month, so there's really no time to write. The next wave of plates will be starting next week, so updates won't come in fast.

Well, on to the next chapter! Time to get in to some real plot! I hope you enjoy this!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own –Man or any of its characters.

**Chapter 6: Revelations**

The last of the weak flames that sit next to the stairway swished into nothingness, leaving the underground room in complete darkness. Only the creaking sound of the floor can be heard, as the two lone exorcists occupying the room shifted nervously against the wooden floor boards. Neither have noticed the lights coming out as they continued to drown themselves in their own thoughts. Be it of shock or fear, they remained rooted to their spot, staring at the general direction of the other.

Rose Anne, the carnivorous pet of the innkeeper was keeping quiet at the corner, apparently settling down after having bit Allen to her heart's content. She let out a low growl, much like the sound of an angry cat gargling with water, before noisily shutting its fanged petals. The plant's movement's caught the exorcists' attentions, pulling them out of their state of disbelief.

'Ah, th…the lights went off…' Lenalee stuttered, pulling herself up upon realizing that they were in complete darkness. She slowly ran her palms across her dress, hoping to flatten out the creases despite not being able to see anything in the dark. As soon as she got satisfied with how the fabric felt, she started for the stairs, trailing the length of the bookshelf with her fingertips to guide her towards her destination. Careful not to trip on anything on the floor, she walked slowly, feeling her way through the dark place.

She came to a stop when the old wooden floor creaked from behind. She heard a dull thud together with the rustle of paper she can only imagine were flying all over the place. She nearly cried out when something that felt like a hand caught one of hers. Realizing that it was Allen holding her hand, she started to relax.

'A…Allen- kun, you almost gave me a heart attack!' she said with a little laugh, thankful for the lack of illumination now that she was sure she must be deep red in the face.

'You don't have to come with me Allen- kun; I can manage to find the stairs on my own.' Lenalee said slowly. Her eyes stared blindly to her side where her hands rested in Allen's. The feel of his warm hand was enough to make her even more aware of how much he means to her. She needs to get away from him for a while, to calm herself for a bit.

However, her abnormally fast pulse, which Allen was feeling under his grip, gave her uneasiness away. Slowly, the white- haired youth lifted her hand to his face to let her feel the corners of his left eye. Lenalee blinked a couple of times in confusion. Could he be thinking that she was nervous because of the dark and perhaps, was trying to cheer her up? Not moments later though realization dawned on her.

'Ah, yes, your left can see better than a normal eye.' Lenalee felt the other exorcist nod against her hand. She sighed, before nodding her head as well. It seems like Allen haven't realized yet that she indeed meant what she said. Lenalee doesn't know whether to feel happy or irritated about him being so dense.

* * *

Allen led Lenalee across the room to where the stairs are. True, his eyes can see well even in darkness but with his head feeling like it's been hit by a bludgeon, he can't exactly be confident on where he's going. Her words really felt like they were meant for him, and he was quite sure that if he was able to talk at that moment, he could've told her he loves her as well at once. The thought of him professing his love for Lenalee was enough to set his cheeks in a mad blush. He shook his head and squinted his eyes further to get a better look of their path, but not only once did he stare sideways to look at the female exorcist.

Squishing Lenalee's hand every now and then to tell her she was about to trip on something, it took them about five more minutes to get to the foot of the stairs. He let go of her hand at once and leaned on the wall near the exit, watching her fumble with the lamplight that was stubbornly clinging to its bracket despite Lenalee's effort to pull it out. She already managed to find the spare oil bottle that was kept at the bottom of a nearby cabinet, beneath bottles upon bottles of dusty fruit jam containers that were neatly stacked on upper shelves. Now, she must unscrew the bottom part of the lamp to be able to refill it with oil.

Allen thought for a second before finally deciding that the other exorcist needs some help. Knowing Lenalee, she would probably refuse his offer (the reason why he stood back in the first place), but the darkness pressing all around him was making him feel even worse, it would be nice to see some light again soon. He walked over and stood at her back, then reaching out his arms around her shoulders, he placed his hands over hers to help her pull out the lamp.

'A... Allen-kun!' Lenalee gasped. She shivered as his warm breath fanned the back of her neck. 'You don't have to help me, I can-'

Allen's hand tightened around Lenalee's urging the other exorcist to stop arguing and start pulling the light lamp. He flashed her a smile saying that it's ok with him, though he wasn't sure if she's seen the gesture. It was really dark after all.

Darn rusty bracket. Allen heard from maid talk that the inn nearly caught fire a couple of years back when a lamp that was hung haphazardly on the wall suddenly fell down when someone brushed the thing at passing that the owner decided to put all lamplights and even candle holders in iron brackets just to make sure that the incident won't ever happen again. All the brackets he saw on the upper floors were oiled at least every once in a week, it wasn't a trouble getting lamp lights nor candles off of them, But the cellar, which was only occasionally visited by inn helpers depositing bottles of fruit preserves and barrels of ale and wine, and the innkeeper himself who happens by this place every once in a while to visit his collections, was barely cleaned. So are the poor iron brackets holding the lamp light they are trying to refill.

After a few moments of pulling, the lamp started to separate from the bracket with a screechy noise.

'Just…a…little…more…' Lenalee breathed heavily. She'll help Allen with the light then she would go to sleep. No, she's going to contemplate her feelings for him. Kanda must know of a good place where she could think quietly. After all, he always finds the best places to meditate first. She pulled even harder.

Allen, on the other hand, is having difficulties as well. He was trying his best not to crush Lenalee's hands beneath his and as such can't really put all of his energy into pulling against the rusty support. All he was actually doing is holding the top of her hands. The smooth skin felt warm against his, and as much as he hates to admit it, he really enjoys the feel of it.

'There!'

The lamp light suddenly went off of its bracket sending Lenalee a couple of steps back. Allen, who was trying to keep his body a distance from hers, was caught off guard by the sudden impact. He took several hurried steps backwards before the hem of his pants caught a jutting splinter on the floor and fell backwards, pulling Lenalee by the arm in the process.

The next thing that Allen knew, he was sprawled on the floor, lamplight rolling just beside his ear, and Lenalee's soft form resting on top of him. He looked sideways only to meet amethyst eyes sparkling in the dark and found himself wondering how Lenalee could stay cute despite the shocked expression on her face. Allen smacked his forehead soundly with the palm of his hand. He should stop these crazy thoughts!

* * *

_Lenalee didn't mean those words! She didn't mean them! _he shouted mentally.

_No, I really wanted her to mean those words, but she can't possibly mean them! She's just trying to drive Rose Anne away for me!_

Allen can feel Lenalee breathing against his chest and despite secretly delighting at the situation he's in, his head can't take the conflicts raging inside him any more. He has to get away for a while, before his feelings get the better of his judgment. A wrong move, a wrong word, could end their friendship at once. Allen would've been content to be her friend for the rest of his life if it means her comfortable company and sweet smiles. He can't afford to lose her. Even if it means staying as a mere friend forever.

He sighed heavily as he pulled at the back of her dress to tell her to get up. She hasn't moved an inch ever since they fell to the floor. Could it be that she got injured in the process? His eyes darted to the side once more to check if she was indeed in pain. However, the violet irises that stared at him a couple of moments back were no longer there. Lenalee has burrowed her face to the side of his neck. Her breath was tickling him, is she sleeping?

'Allen- kun…' Lenalee whispered.

Ah, so she isn't asleep.

'I… those words earlier… I really m-'

Lenalee was cut off when the floor boards from the next row of book shelves creaked noisily. The two exorcists froze as a pool of light emerged from the other side of a shelf. Both waited in horror as the newcomer walked closer and closer to the aisle they're in. The silhouette of a lean man holding a stack of moth eaten documents stood at the end of a bookshelf. His long blonde hair shone golden against the glimmer of the lamp light he held on his left, a scowl on his face.

'What in the name of earth do you think you're doing Walker?'

* * *

Lenalee threw herself at her bed the moment she reached the confines of her room. Link literally threw her out of the cellar the moment she got up on her feet. Of course, not without threatening her that the secretary will know of her actions that obstruct Allen Walker from doing his work. And before Link decides to do as he says, Lenalee let herself be fended out of the dusty cellar by an irritated inspector. He must be thinking that she was the reason Allen neglected the questionnaires to do.. She shook her head to get rid of the thought.

On her way to her room, she also tried asking Lavi for Kanda's whereabouts, since she can't find the Japanese teen anywhere, but the bookman was so excited in knowing whether Allen was halfway eaten by the plant to say anything useful. In the end, she decided it would be best to retire to her own bedroom since work starts early tomorrow.

'Ah, I feel so tired.' she mumbled dreamily.

Lenalee stared at the ceiling for a couple of minutes, taking note of the lattice wood work that graces it at every corner. The lattice work is only one of the few things that make the inn Chinese, other than a few furniture pieces and the cuisine itself; one can mistake the place as a westerner hotel. The owner, Arturoe Marqo, isn't Chinese at all which explains why the inn looks like this. He was from somewhere in Europe if what her fellow inn helpers told her were true. It appears that he became rich after serving one of the Maharajas of India by sailing through the Indian Ocean and sometimes the Pacific and providing him and his family with fresh seafood. And not just seafood, it seems like he was asked every once in a while to catch sharks and dolphins for the noble clan. Once he earned enough money, he started to venture on business while he was still in India, and after marrying a native of China, decided to move his businesses here. A couple of years later, with his business expanding from hospitality establishments and shipping, his wife died from tuberculosis. They never had a child. She secretly wished that fate would never befall her and Allen; given that the white- haired youth would have the sense to realize how she feels for him any time soon.

'Allen- kun…'

She stretched her arms upwards and happened to feel her soft pillow. She pulled the white cushion over her chest; her leaden eyes still glued to the ceiling. The polished wood looks warm but expensive. Mahogany, perhaps? When she and Allen got married, she would want their home to have mahogany for the flooring. Narra is also a good choice. Ah yes, narra. She's read from one of her nii- san's botany books that it is generally resistant to termites. That would save a lot on maintenance cost. Not to mention that the wood has a rosy scent. That would add up to the romantic ambiance of the home.

She would want their house to have a good view of the sea as well, but not directly beside the sea since the wind velocity becomes too uncomfortable at times. She would patiently wait for Allen to come home after a long day of work, and when he comes, she would kiss him against the light of the setting sun. There would be no akumas to worry about. Just the two of them together. Alone.

Lenalee's dream of a happy life with Allen was cut off when sleep finally arrived.

* * *

_The cold night air whistled quietly as they sifted through dancing bamboo stalks and fruit-bearing peach trees rooted not far off from the calm pond. Soft creaks can be heard in the darkness as the slender tropical grass swayed with the mild air current. A beautiful moon was hanging on top of the calm water, its reflection floating amongst pink and white lotus blossoms that dwell restfully within the pond. The sweet night air was unusually chilly for a mid- August night in China, but Lenalee doesn't mind the cold at all. All of her attention is focused on the warm hand that was leading her through the shadows of peach trees edging the lovely pool of water._

'_Allen-kun? Where are we going?'_

_Allen turned his head to smile warmly at her, and then continued leading her through the dark trail. Lenalee on the other hand, merely smiled back, not at all bothered by the lack of response to her earlier query. This is Allen after all, she trusts him and she knows he won't be doing anything that might harm her._

_They continued their steady walk for a couple more minutes before finally stopping at the foot of a bridge. It's the same bridge that Lenalee had brought Allen to the night he lost his voice. Allen's grip tightened around her hand and she looked up at him when she felt the pressure. He was staring at her with such loving eyes. And Lenalee's breath caught as the other exorcist leaned in closer and closer to her. Is he going to kiss her? _

_However, when Allen's lips lingered a mere inch away from hers, he stopped leaning in then breathed out solemnly, 'Do you love me Lenalee?'_

'…'

'_Do you love me Lenalee?' Allen repeated, his lips are nearly brushing hers. Lenalee can't move nor speak from the intensity of his gaze. Those pale purple eyes were demanding her of an answer, and she stuttered in response._

'_Ha…Hai, Allen-kun…I love you too…'_

'_Then you'll come with me…' he smiled then wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Lenalee nearly yelped as Allen suddenly pulled her body tightly against his form and crushed his lips to hers. It was all too sudden, and Lenalee didn't know what was happening until she felt his warm tongue brushing across her lips. She tried to resist at first, to push Allen away, but she felt as if she was melting inside his arms that she finally gave in. She opened her lips to let Allen in, and pulled her arms around his neck to pull him deeper into the kiss. His hands are crawling aimlessly across her back, and Lenalee lost herself in the blissful moment. _

_Not until she felt a stabbing pain coming from the middle of her chest._

_Allen broke away from her and took several paces back. His face was crinkled with innocent worry as he stared down at the knife jutting out from the middle of Lenalee's chest. Breathing became more and more painful for the female exorcist as more and more blood entered her dying lungs. Even more blood was dripping down from the wound to the calm waters below. _

_Wait, I'm standing on top of the water?_

_For the first time, Lenalee noticed the familiar surrounding she is in. Flickering flames licked the cavern stone as they raged from atop the torches lining the length of the underground tunnel. Shadows danced from beneath the torchlight's brackets as the flames shifted from atop their cradle of wood. The water was covered in a blanket of pink and whit lotus petals while a small boat a little ways off glided gracefully across the glassy surface. A white- haired person is riding the boat, but Lenalee doesn't have the time to notice such trivial matters. Her knees already gave way to the pain, and her vision was starting to get hazy. Her head was spinning as she felt the last of her heart beats fading one beat after another. Allen Walker walked towards her and lifted her in his arms, as if by a groom taking his wife to their wedding bed. He was looking solemnly down at her, his face apparently worried but to Lenalee's horror, his eyes were nothing but a blank shell. Lenalee reached up her trembling fingers to touch his cheeks. She can barely breathe and her voice came out in gurgling tones because of the blood._

'_Allen…k..kun…'_

_A distant voice was calling out to her. Is it the stranger riding the boat she's seen earlier? She continued to reach up, not even bothering to pull out the knife that was sticking out of her chest. His face felt cold against her fingertips._

'_Al…len…kun…' Allen smiled at her again. He doesn't seem to be fazed at the slightest at seeing his comrade slowly dying in pain._

'_Allen-kun is dead Lenalee- chan.' Allen's skin slowly turned dark as stigmata marks appeared around his forehead. His snowy locks were curled at the tips and his eyes reflected cold apathy, chilling Lenalee down to her soul._

'_The name's_ Egrin, _Lenalee- chan! Konbanwa!'_

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

_Old Black Order HQ_

'Cross-sama?'

Marshall Cross placed his wine glass on a side table, leaning against an inexpensive- looking couch that was left at the castle when the Order decided to move out. A look of disgust crossed his face as his back hit some lumps on the old sofa piece, but then decided to ignore the discomfort thinking about how this seat fared against the other one he found earlier. That one belonged to the science department, and not only do lumps and pierced edges can be seen at the junk, the smell of drool and sweat of men who probably have deleted the word 'bathing' from their vocabulary due to their ridiculously unending workload made sitting even impossible. The general pulled out a box of cigarette from within his coat pocket then started lighting up a stick.

'Cross- sama?'

'Shut up, I heard you before!' he roared out to the older man, irritated. He puffed his cigarette slowly to calm himself down. Sure, this damn old castle, with no women or even high- class furniture was driving him insane. Good thing the modified akuma before him brings him good wine whenever he runs out of supply.

'Will you change to your human form Arturoe? That look is irritating me!'

'Hai, Cross- sama.' the golden akuma bowed deeply before obeying its master. He lifted his large form in the air then in one big swish, he's completely turned into a fat, old man of about his mid- 50's. A white apron hugged his wide bodice; his graying brown hair was balding at the top. Strands of white and gray stick out of his thick mustache.

His grey eyes sparkled against the soft moonlight as he looked at the Marshall inquiringly, as if to ask if the look satisfies him. The general got the message.

'That's better.' he said. 'So... how's the 14th doing? Did you make Rose Anne bite him?'

'Hai, Cross-sama, I placed the drug on the plant, as you instructed.' Arturoe Marqo said humbly as he gave the general another deep bow.

'Good.' Cross filled his wine glass once more, and then stood to look out of the window into the starless night, losing himself in his own thoughts. An evil smile was playing on his lips as he calculated the time left before the 14th takes over Allen. And the time left to help his idiot apprentice overcome the Noah's control.

'I'll make sure you'll become the 7th awakening, idiot apprentice.'

* * *

**A/N: **I'm really sorry about the first part! Don't worry; I have a much better idea on how to finally get Allen and Lenalee together. And it will involve Lavi's hammer!

And as for Egrin? Nah, he's not an OC. Just like any other fan out there, I absolutely have no idea what the 14th's name really is so I'm calling him that. Egrin's actually a name I made up for a character of a, ehrm, 'personal' comic series (nyehe, anyone can dream right?) I was planning to make for a time now (but the 'real' Egrin's not this dark!), and I think it really suits the 14th here. You'll find out next chapter why.

And yeah, the dream part at the start of this fic, and Lenalee's were connected. And the lotus is very important. ^^,

And about the mahogany and narra. These are wood with warm, reddish tones. I'm not sure if mahogany's also termite resistant but I'm quite sure about the narra being such. And I think it was illegal nowadays to cut them from the wild (since there are only few left) but this is the end of the 19th century so I'm assuming there are still lot of this wood. And to those who live somewhere near the sea like me, you know what I mean by the wind. .

Thanks to everyone who read! And to those who gave their reviews, they're very much appreciated! You just don't know how happy I get whenever I receive one. Thanks a lot!ű

Btw, Lavi and Kanda will be back next chapter to give us another one of their brilliant plans! And I'm revealing the 'Hidden Truth' next time, so watch out for that! And just what that 7th awakening is? Next chapter will explain. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And as I've said earlier, the next update might take long to be posted because I have to work on new sets of plates. So, there.

~shinigami+Tales

Edit: I won't be updating Obeisance, reasons posted on my profile. I'm sorry and thanks for reading my stories. ",


End file.
